Adventures in Dog-Sitting
by Kristen3
Summary: When Martin and Ronee go away for a weekend, they leave Eddie with Niles and Daphne. But toddler David is less than thrilled. On-going story.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:** I just love when real life gives me an idea for a story! And this isn't finished, but I do have ideas on where it's going. Please enjoy!

The doorbell rang, and Daphne went to answer it immediately. She already knew who it was. Martin and Ronee were going away for the weekend, and they'd enlisted Niles and Daphne to dog-sit.

"Well, here he is, Daph," Martin said when the door was opened. "Your four-legged house guest." He gestured to Eddie, who was walking into the apartment behind his owners.

Daphne smiled. She sort of missed seeing Eddie every day, as she had when she still worked for Frasier. "It's going to be lovely having him!"

Just then, Martin saw Niles sitting on the fainting couch. "Thanks for agreeing to this, son. I know you don't really like Eddie messing up your house."

Niles stood. "Don't mention it. When I saw how happy my beautiful wife was, I decided it was worth the slight inconvenience of having him here."

Martin nodded. He'd suspected that was what had gotten his son to go along with this plan. He looked down at Eddie, realizing at that moment just how much he'd miss his faithful companion.

Ronee saw the expression on his face. "Now, Marty, don't look so sad. It's not as if you'll be alone this weekend." She gave her husband a knowing look.

Niles saw the grin on her face, and tried to ignore how strange it still felt that his former babysitter had become his father's wife. He suspected she said things like this solely because she knew it bothered him.

"Well, anyway," Martin said, wanting to end the awkwardness. "We brought some of his food and treats. And of course all his favorite toys."

"Thanks," Daphne said, taking the bag Ronee handed her.

Just then, a sound was heard from the baby monitor. "Mommy!"

"Oh, I guess someone's up from his nap," Daphne said. "Please don't leave. David would be very upset if he didn't get to say goodbye to you."

Martin nodded his agreement, and Daphne went upstairs to retrieve her son. She returned a moment later, carrying David. "Grandpa and Grandma Ronee are going away for a couple of days," Daphne explained to the toddler. "But Eddie's going to be staying with us. Won't that be fun?"

"No! No dog," David said emphatically.

Daphne laughed nervously. "I'm sure he doesn't mean that," she said to her in-laws. "Eddie will be in good hands."

"We know, Daph," Martin said. "So long, Buddy." He kissed David's soft cheek. He had always loved Freddie, but being a grandfather meant so much more when his grandson was in the same city. It was just one more reason Daphne had been such a blessing to the Crane family.

"Have a good time," Daphne said, giving them both hugs as best she could, with David still in her arms.

Martin and Ronee both promised they would, and then they were gone. For a moment, Niles and Daphne were quiet.

But the silence was abruptly broken by David. "No dog!"

Daphne sighed. This would be a very long two days.


	2. Chapter 2

Daphne loved feeding Eddie. It reminded her of the days when she lived with Frasier. Even though the dog was older now, she was sure he could feel it too. When Eddie was finished eating, she gave him a thorough scratch behind the ear. Then, with a smile, she stood to go back up to David's room.

Predictably, Eddie followed her. When they arrived at the nursery, David stood in his crib, already awake. He smiled as he saw Daphne enter the room. But once he saw Eddie, his expression changed. "No dog!"

Daphne lifted her son from the crib. "Now, David, don't say that. Eddie's only here for a few days. He isn't going to hurt you."

"NO DOG!"

Daphne sighed. "Now, David, please. Don't say that. Eddie's a very nice dog."

David didn't say anything, but his expression showed that he was more than a little unconvinced.

Daphne bent down, placing her son on the floor. She took a seat next to him. At her signal, Eddie walked over. "You know, I've known Eddie for a long time. Even longer than I've known your father, if you can believe that. I met him the same day I met your uncle and your grandfather. Back then, your grandfather wasn't the same man who kissed you goodbye yesterday. He was angry about having to give up his independence to move in with his son. And your uncle wasn't any happier about having him." As she spoke, Daphne softly stroked Eddie's fur.

Somehow, David's expression changed just the slightest bit. He began to see that the dog was harmless.

"Eddie really isn't so bad," Daphne said, seeing that her son now seemed to be curious. "Your uncle used to hate the way Eddie stared at him all the time. But I think Eddie grew on him a bit. Just like I did." She laughed to herself, remembering how her future brother-in-law had wanted nothing to do with her back then. "Your grandfather and I got on pretty well, even if he was a grumpy old sod a lot of the time. But of course, your father was the only one who really liked me. In fact, _liked_ is sort of an understatement. He was crazy about me for seven years before I even realized. I'm glad I found out when I did, because otherwise, you might not be here." She couldn't resist taking David in her arms and kissing him. "Eddie's not going to bite you," Daphne said gently. "Why don't you pet him?"

Cautiously, David reached out a hand, imitating his mother. He could feel how soft the dog's fur was. Before he knew it, he was smiling.

Niles stood in the doorway, watching the adorable mother-son scene play out. It never ceased to amaze him how patient Daphne was with David. But, then, she'd always been that way. It was precisely why he'd fallen in love with her.


	3. Chapter 3

As Daphne fed David his breakfast, she noticed that he seemed to watch Eddie curiously. He was still a bit wary, but he was definitely warming up to his grandfather's faithful companion. She couldn't help smiling, as she knew from her years with Frasier that it was nearly impossible to not love the adorable dog.

Once David was fed, Daphne took him to the living room. Many of his toys were there, and it served as a makeshift playroom. This allowed Daphne to fold laundry and do other things while keeping an eye on her son. As David played, Eddie stayed nearby, watching. David didn't really pay attention to the dog, but he didn't seem to mind the company either. Whether David wanted to admit it or not, he and Eddie were definitely becoming friends.

The peaceful scene was abruptly ended when David began to cry. Daphne quickly went over and picked him up. It was apparent what was wrong as soon as she held him. "I think it's time for a diaper change." She'd discovered that it was often easier to change him by putting a blanket on the floor, rather than going all the way back up to the nursery. David was still crying. Daphne did her best to soothe him, but to no avail.

Just when she began to get frustrated by her son's non-stop tears, Eddie walked over. He gently nudged David's cheek. Amazingly, this startled him enough that he stopped crying. Daphne couldn't believe it. "Well, thank you, Eddie."

The dog looked up at her as if to say, _You're welcome_.

Once David was all changed, Daphne returned him to his spot on the floor. "It seems you've made a friend now, haven't you?" Daphne wasn't sure, but she thought she saw David shrug. Suddenly, Daphne had an idea. She took a ball that David wasn't playing with and rolled it in Eddie's direction. Immediately, the dog picked up the ball and returned it to her. "See?" she said to David. "He loves to play fetch." She repeated the action, and Eddie once again retrieved the ball.

David watched, his expression showing he was interested, but not overly impressed. Daphne put the ball in David's hand, making him "throw" the ball to Eddie. Once again, the dog retrieved it. "See, David?" Daphne asked. "Eddie likes you. He wants to play."

Daphne once again threw the ball. Eddie retrieved it, but this time, he dropped it in front of David. Bewildered, David picked up the ball. "He wants you to throw it," Daphne encouraged her son.

David threw it, and the ball went farther than Daphne would have expected. But Eddie didn't seem to mind. He came right back, carrying the ball. "You see?" Daphne said, petting Eddie. "He wants to be your friend."

Just then, Niles emerged from his study. "Well, what's going on here?" he asked.

"David and I were just playing fetch with Eddie," Daphne replied. "I think Eddie's winning him over!"

Niles smiled. "I'm not surprised. I'll admit that Frasier and I weren't always thrilled with Eddie's antics, but I can see how much he means to Dad. And, of course, seeing you with him let me know what a sweet, caring person you are."

Touched, Daphne stood from her place on the floor. She kissed Niles, as she always did whenever he brought up their past. "Eddie is a bit of a handful," she said. "But I knew your father needed Eddie just as much as Eddie needed him."

"Well, no matter what, I'm just glad Dad saw he needed _you_ ," Niles said. Once again, he and Daphne kissed, longer this time. "You know, I just had an idea."

"What's that?" Daphne asked, genuinely curious to hear what her husband was thinking.

"Well, since David and Eddie seem to be getting along so well, maybe we should let them get to know each other a little better."

"What do you mean?"

"When Dad and Ronee come back to get Eddie tomorrow, why don't we see if they'll take David, too? That way, I can take _my_ wife on a romantic getaway."

"I like the way you think, Niles Crane."


	4. Chapter 4

Martin kissed Ronee as he rang Niles and Daphne's doorbell. He'd loved the chance to spend the weekend with his wife, with no therapy or other interruptions. He hadn't even watched sports, which was a rare occurrence. But he couldn't deny that he missed Eddie, not to mention his favorite grandson.

"Welcome back!" Daphne said when she answered the door. She hugged her father-in-law as if she hadn't seen him in months, even though it had only been about forty-eight hours.

"Thanks," Martin said, smiling. "We had a wonderful time, didn't we, Ronee?"

"Yeah," Ronee replied. "It was nice to actually spend a couple days without having to say, 'Marty, would you turn the TV down for God's sake?'" She laughed, giving her husband a teasing glance. She was forever telling him he should get his hearing tested, but of course, Martin stubbornly refused.

"Well, I'm glad you two enjoyed your vacation," Daphne said. "Eddie had fun, too." As if on cue, the dog raced over to Martin, overjoyed to see him.

"Hi, boy." Martin grinned. With some effort, he bent to pick up the dog. "Did you miss me?"

Eddie responded by licking Martin's cheek repeatedly. "OK, boy, that's enough," Martin said, letting the dog go. He got back up, carefully holding onto his cane.

For just a moment, Daphne's heart broke. It was obvious that Martin was no longer a young man. Even though they'd had their squabbles over the years, Daphne thought of him as a second father. But she forced herself to put those thoughts out of her mind. The last thing he'd want would be for anyone to worry about him.

Just then, David looked up from where he was playing on the floor. "Grandpa!" He toddled over, hugging Martin's legs. Daphne quickly picked her son up, allowing him to hug his grandfather's neck instead. "David enjoyed Eddie's company, too. Didn't you?" David nodded.

"Aw, I'm glad," Martin said. He kissed David's cheek. It was still hard to believe David was actually here, after all the years it took Niles and Daphne just to get together.

Niles came out of the kitchen then, having heard voices in the living room. "Oh, Dad, I'm glad you're back!"

"Yeah, we are," Martin said. "Thanks again for keeping an eye on Eddie."

"I told you before, it was nothing. My love, did you tell Dad about our idea?"

"No, I was just going to."

"What's your idea, son?" Martin asked.

"Well, Daphne and I were thinking, since David and Eddie have gotten along so well, maybe they should spend a little more time together. That is, if you two don't mind taking care of David for a day or two?" Niles hoped his father would say yes. He could hardly wait to have Daphne all to himself.

Martin and Ronee shared a look. For a moment, neither said a word. "We'd love to," Ronee finally said. She wasn't really thrilled with the idea of being an instant grandmother, but she knew how much the boy meant to Martin. And, deep down, she did have to admit he was pretty adorable.

"Are you sure…?" Daphne asked, wanting to give them an out just in case.

"Of course, Daphne," Ronee replied. "This way, Marty will have somebody to watch sports with, and I'll actually get a break for once."

Niles chuckled, but he could tell that his stepmother didn't dislike David nearly as much as she pretended to. "Well, thank you both. Daphne and I have….plans."

Daphne put David into Ronee's arms. "I'll go fetch his overnight bag." She ran upstairs, returning almost immediately with the bag she'd packed. "You have a good time with Grandpa and Grandma Ronee," Daphne said, kissing her son goodbye. "We'll miss you, but you can play with Eddie some more, OK?"

David nodded. He didn't appear to be upset at all. Niles kissed his cheek. "Have a good time."

"We'll take good care of him," Martin promised.

Daphne and Niles both assured him they knew, and Martin and Ronee left, with Eddie following.

Niles took Daphne's hands in his, getting lost in her eyes for a long moment. "I love Dad and David, but I'm glad they're gone," he said.

"Oh, why would that be?" Daphne asked, pretending she didn't know the answer.

"Because," he said, leaning forward to kiss her. "Now I can spend the next two days showing _you_ how much I love you."

 **The End**


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